Music-player tracker mechanism.



D. J. HAUSS.

MUSIC PLAYER TRACKER MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.9, 1911.

1,128,976. Patented Feb. 16, 1915.

2 SHEBTSSHEET l D J. HAUSS.

MUSIC PLAYER TRACKER MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 9, 1911 Eatented Feb. 18, 1915.

Z SHEETS-SHEET Z.

811 nos/Wm;

wi t-names Q DAVID HAUSS, 0F AURORA, INDIANA.

MUSIC-PLAYER TRACKER MECHANISM.

7 Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 16,1915.

Application filed March 9, 1911. Serial No. 613,262.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID J. Hausa, a citizen of the United States, resfiling at Aurora, in the county of Dearborn and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Music-Player Tracker -Mechanism, of which the 'follow-' ing is a specification.

My invention relates to tracker mechanism for music players.

One of its obj ects is to provide a sectional tracker board and means whereby the respective sections can be adjusted to track with commercial sheets cut to different scales transversely of the sheet.

Another object is to provide improved mechanism to trans'verselj adj'ustthe sec-' tions of the tracker board with accuracy.

Another object is to provide an improved sectional tracker board capable of transverse adjustment, and means to render the sections near the ends of the tracker board inoperative when desired.

My invention further consists in certain details of form, combinationand arrangement, all of which will be more fully set forth in the description of the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation. of a pair of sheet feeding rolls with my improved tracker in extended position. Fig. 2 is a sectional diagram on line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 of a portion of a tracker board with the sections adjusted to another position. Fig. L is a perspective view of one of the adjusting bars detached. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the tracker board sections detached. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a'portion of a tracker board and illustrating a modification. Fig. 7 is a sectional detail on line Fig. 8 is a front elevation of a portion of a tracker-board illustrating another modification. Fig. 9 is a sectional detail on line at w of Fig. 8. Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 4 of a similar member for adjusting the tracker bar sections of Figs. 8 and 9.

My invention is adapted to be applied to tracker mechanism of either electrical or pneumatic type. j

The accompanying drawings representthe preferred embodiments of my invention. In igs. 1 to 5 A represents part of a sup- 'v of Fig. 6.

porting frame in which are supported sheet dehvery roll B and take-up roll 0 and a tracker board D comprising a series of independent sections each electrical contact finger. tact fingers are adapted to close independent electrical circuits which serve to actuate the keys or equivalent members of a musical provided with an The several coninstrument by making contact with a contact member E through perforations in the music sheet F.

In different music sheets the perforations are cut to different scales transversely of the sheet, as for instance, some sheets may becut to a scale of &4 notes six to the inch, others to notes six to the inch, and others 88 notes nine to the inch. In my improved tracker the tracker board is composed of a series of separate or independent sections 2 which are composed preferably of insulating material and are mounted side by side upon rods or guides 3. The central tracker board section 2 is preferably rigidly connected to the rods 3 by screws L, and the sections 2 at opposite sides ofthe section 2 are free to move along the guides or rods 3, and are pressed toward each other by means of springs 5'which are partly incased in tubes 6 and hear at their outer ends against the cross bars 7 which serve to lock the rods 3 together at opposite ends. The rods 3, tubes 6 and cross-bars 7 constitute a movable tracker board frame, which carries the secerent length, and the take-up.

to receive sheets of different width. Thev mechanism for adjusting the tracker board transversely; adjusting the sheetrolls; and the transposing members, same as fully illustrated and my application Serial No. 525,694., filed November 1', 1909.

Inorder .to adjust the several tracker board sections 2 to the desired positions to is preferably the described in aline with the perforations of sheets cut to diil'erent scales 1 provide a series of tapered bars or members 9 which are slotted at 11 to receive the rods 3, and at 12 to receive the cross bars 10 which are rigidly connected to the opposite sides of the frame A. The bars 9 are thus free to slide alongthe rods 10 and also by reason of the slots 11 and 12 are capable of adjustment endwise.

1 represents a cylindrical bareccentrically pivoted to the opposite sides of frame A and provided with a hand lever 15 by means of which it may be partially rotated,

and a dog or pawl 16 engaging a circular notched plate 17 on frame A, by means of which the eccentric is may be locked to any adjusted position. The bars 9 are provided with straps 18 which with the end of said bars serve to encircle said eccentric 14 so that said eccentric serves to simultaneously adjust said bars 9 endwise to vary the extent to which the'tapered portion of said bars is inserted between the tracker hoard sections 2, thereby serving to variously space said tracker board sections. The springs 5 serve to hold the adjacent faces of the tracker board sections and the bars 9 firmly in contact and to yieldingly provide for the extension andretraction of the tracker hoard.

The respective tracker board sections 2 are provided with metal tubes 19 into one end of which the upper ends of spring contact fingers 20 are detachably inserted, while the ends of the electrical circuit wires are adapted to be inserted into the opposite ends of tubes 19. Lugs '21 preferably formed integral with the sections 2 serve to support the free ends of the contact fingers in alinement, while rods 22 are inserted throughthe eyes 23 of one or more of said sections at opposite ends of the tracker board, where they serve to engage the curved portion 24 of the contact fingers so as to retract such contactfingers as are engaged "by the rods 22 from operative relation with the sheet and contact member E, thus enabling as many contact fingers as desired at either end to be thrown out of operation, either for the purpose of transposition or upon changing to sheets of greater or less number of notes.

The contact member E is preferably a roller pivotally supported by a frame 30 which is pivoted at 31 and adapted to swing the member E into and out of contact with the sheet and to force the sheet into operative relation with the contact fingers. hen the member E is'out of engagement with the sheet as for rewinding or like purpose, the sheet is out of contact with the fingers 20 and assumes the position indicated in dotted line Fig. 2. The sheet roll supporting and adjusting and driving mechanism, and the means for adjusting the crank arms 39 which are connected in pairs by links 40 and adapted to be shifted to rotate the eccentrics 38 to shift the sections 35 to or from each other on the rods 41, 42, by means of eccentric rods 43 operated by a common eccentric 44.

In Figs. 8, 9 and 10 I have illustrated my invention applied to a pneumatic tracker board in which 50 represents a series of independent sections constituting a pneumatic tracker board, said several sections being supported side by side upon rods 51, 52 corresponding to the rods 3 of Fig. 1. Each section is provided with an air duct 53 adapted to be normally closed by a music sheet, said ducts leading by means of flexible tubes 54 to pneumatically actuated mechanism adapted to actuate the keys or equivalent mechanism of a musical instrument. Springs 5, not shown in these figures, serve to press the sections 50 into contact with each other, while tapered bars 55 actuated by an eccentric rod 56 as heretoforedcscrihed, serve to separate the sections 50 to a greater or less extent as desired. A member 57 corresponding in function to the rods 22 of Fig. 1 serves to cover the air ducts of one or more of the end sections of the tracker board. If desired rods identical with the rods 22 of Fig. 1 may be employed to actuate valves to close the air ducts of the sections-50.

The mechanism herein illustrated and described'is capable of considerable modification without departing from the principle of my invention. I

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a tracker board for musical instruments, a plurality of separate sections adj ustably supported upon said tracker board frame, a plurality of wedges interposed between said sections, and means to actuate said wedges in unison.

2. A tracker board for musical instruments comprising a plurality of adjustable sections corresponding to the sounding members of the musical instrument, and mechanism interposed between said tracker board sections to adjust said sections uniformly to vary the distance from center to center of said tracker board sections.

3. In a mechanism of the character described, mechanism adapted to feed a music sheet, a tracker comprising a series of adtions, means to yieldingly force said tracker board sections together, and mechanism to actuate said wedges in unison to vary the distance from center to center of said tracker board sections.

it. A tracker board for musical instruments comprising a plurality of adjustable sections, a plurality of wedges interposed between said tracker board sections to vary the distance from center to center of said tracker board sections, and mechanism to shift said tracker board as a whole transversely of the sheet feed.

plurality of tracker board sections each provided with a music key controlling member and vadjustably supported by said guide, members carried by said tracker board frame serving to normally force said sections toward each other, and mechanism carried by said frame to force said sections apart. a

i. In a mechanism of the character described, a. tracker board comprisinga tracker board frame, a guide carried by said frame, a plurality of tracker board sections each provided with a music key controlling mem her and adjustably supported by said guide, members carried by said tracker board frame adapted to yieldingly hold said sections in a retracted position, and a plurality of tapered members to shift said tracker board sections to an extended position.

8. In a mechanism of the character described, a tracker board frame, a plurality of tracker board sections mountedupon guides carried by said frame, members carried by said respective tracker-board sections to control the music keys, mechanism to adjust said sections to and from each other, and adjustable members at opposite ends of the tracker board to engage the keycontrolling members of said sections at opposite ends of the tracker board to render said key controlling members inoperative.

9. A tracker board for musical instruments comprising a tracker board frame, a

plurality of tracker board sections each provided with a music key controlling member and adjustably supported upon said tracker board frame, and means interposed between said tracker board sections to uniformly vary the distance from center to center of said tracker board sections.

10. A tracker board for musical instruments comprising a tracker board frame adjustable transversely of the sheet feed, a plurality of sections constituting a tracker board and adj ustably supported to slide upon said tracker board frame, a plurality of music key controlling members carried by said tracker board sections, and mechanism to adjust said sections to uniform degree to and from each other.

11. A tracker board for musical instruments comprising a tracker board frame adjustable transversely of the sheet feed, and a tracker board comprising a plurality of tracker board sections corresponding to the respective keys of the musical instrument supported upon said tracker board frame and each provided with a music key controlling member, one of said sections being rigidly supported relative to said frame and theremaining tracker board sections being adjustable to and from said rigidly supported tracker board section.

12. A tracker board for musical instruments comprising a tracker board frame adjustable transversely of the sheet feed, a tracker board composed of a plurality of tracker board sections supported upon said tracker board frame, and each provided with a music key controlling member, one of said sections being rigidly supported relative to said frame and the remaining sections being adjustable to and from said rigidly supported tracker board section, a plurality of wedges interposed between said tracker board sections, and means to actuate said wedges to adjust said tracker board sections to and from each other.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signautre in presence of two witnesses.

DAVID J. HAUSS Witnesses:

(J. W. MILES, C. H. BARTH. 

